the goan I network
MARGAO
The ambitious Rs 130-crore north main sewerage line, covering entire Fatorda area up to the sewerage treatment plant at Sirvodem, has hit a major roadblock after it has been found that a good portion of the underground line laid between Presentation Convent to the KTC bus stand, around 600 meters stretch, has developed issues because of the sinkage of the line at some places.
Not only is there going to be a delay in the commissioning of the north main sewerage line, but the public will have to brace up for hardships and inconveniences as the main Margao-Nuvem road will have to be half-closed to dig up the entire line before the replacement. This became evident after a meeting Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai had with PWD Minister Deepak Pauskar on Tuesday evening to discuss the status of the sewerage project, only to be told about the delay in commissioning of the line because of the failure of the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technology.
“The north main sewerage line was scheduled to be commissioned by March 2020. However, when I sought a status report from the PWD Minister and the engineers, I was told that the PWD cannot meet the deadline as the pipeline has failed now as the level was not maintained,” he said.
Saying that the disclosure by the PWD engineers was news to him as the line was passing near his residence at Davondem, Sardesai only hoped that the PWD will now complete the entire work at least before the 2022 Assembly election.
The Fatorda MLA said the north main sewerage project costing Rs 130 crore was taken up by him during his stint as minister as the entire line was damaged and was discharging raw sewage along the course, posing a health hazard to the citizens.
To a question, Sardesai said the PWD engineers have said this is the first time that the pipeline laid via the HDD technology has failed in the state because of sinkage in the levels. “It is not a failure in the technology as the possibility of settlement post-monsoon is always there. The line will now have to be replaced since there will be no flow if there is no level in the line,” he said.
The Fatorda MLA, however, expressed satisfaction that Fatorda constituency has around 92 per cent sewerage,
adding that the remaining issues on sewerage will be resolved soon.
